Xpress H50???

[JigALow]

I have been fishing out of a friends 1998 H51 with Yamaha 90hp, and I like the setup. I am looking at buying a 1998 H50 with 60hp Yamaha. Who has some some experience which this model? I'm looking for some reviews, and the differences in the 50, and 51 that I am used to fishing out of. We usually fish small lakes and some rivers, no tournament fishing. Let me know what y'all think and what to look for, also what's a fair price for this boat in good condition?? Thanks

[xpress spanky]

Well the 50 is a foot shorter than the 51,and Ranger391V will be along to give you some really good info on them. It may be tomorrow before he posts,but the info he posts will be as good as you'll get. The 51 is a great little rig,and that's what i run.

[xpress spanky]

Here's a link to his thread.http://www.bbcboards.net/xpress-boat...5-h-50-db.html

[JigALow]

Thanks. I will give it a read!

[CricketKiller]

I'm not Ranger391v and I'm sure he will correct me if I'm wrong but when we compared the H50 to the H51 the deck area was the same. Yes the H51 was a foot longer overall, but that foot was added in the back of the boat in the transom and was not any extra usable space.

This is just a picture of and H51 I "borrowed" from the internet. Not sure why the pic looks so small but if you click on it, it will get bigger (before you think it, I'll say it... "that's what she said")
h51.jpg

Price will be dependent on condition and what is all on it. I would think in great shape you'd be looking at 6-7k.

As I said, I'm sure Ranger391v will correct me and add anything I left out.

[Bryanzzz]

Sold my 2003 H50 DB w/70 Yamaha 2st several weeks ago for $7900, rig was in excellent condition with lots of aftermarket upgrades. Zero problems with mine, plenty of HP, 3 riders and 3 whitetails on board came on out. Looked at 2014 xp16 at dealer last month, looks like they increased front deck area which reduced floor space, I like floor space. Hyper Lift hull great. Buy one.

[xpress spanky]

I'm not Ranger391v and I'm sure he will correct me if I'm wrong but when we compared the H50 to the H51 the deck area was the same. Yes the H51 was a foot longer overall, but that foot was added in the back of the boat in the transom and was not any extra usable space.

This is just a picture of and H51 I "borrowed" from the internet. Not sure why the pic looks so small but if you click on it, it will get bigger (before you think it, I'll say it... "that's what she said")
h51.jpg

Price will be dependent on condition and what is all on it. I would think in great shape you'd be looking at 6-7k.

As I said, I'm sure Ranger391v will correct me and add anything I left out.

Hi Cricketkiller! Nice to have the better half on here. It looks like you covered it pretty good,and if any corrections are needed,i sure don't see them.

[Ranger391v]

Thanks Mike.

And my wife 'CricketKiller' is mostly right. Just to show how similar theses boats are, they share the same trailer ..... Xpress just moves the bow stop forward for the H-51.

The differences between the H-51 and H-50 depends on the year model. MOST OF THEM, the difference is in the transom. The H-51 has the ~1' added at the transom, and the rear deck, floor space, and front deck are basically identical. The one big advantage to the 1' in the transom is it allows more space for storage in the bilge for batteries, hydraulic pumps (certain hydraulic jackplates, PowerPoles, etc), spare prop, etc. At the same time, in my Project Build that Mike linked for you, you can see that I squeezed 3 batteries in mine (H-50) .... so it can be done, but right now you'd have to get VERY creative to find room to mount anything else back there. Hence why my battery charger is under the bench seat in the storage box. The one variance that comes to mind is the current H-51's, they have a "H-50 transom" and more rear deck, but they also have only a 70hp max (which is less than a H-50).

Also, per Mike and I's conversation in the past about our boats, we noticed the gas tank difference ..... the -51 comes with a mounted gas tank (which has a fuel fill mounted in the transom top cap on the late-00's and newer). The exception, that comes to mind, is the new H-51's do not have a gas tank mounted .... and again, I think this is due to the lack of a fuel fill on the transom since the transom is the old H-50's.

Hull bottom width and weight variances (for the -50) are inconsistant in Xpress brochure(s) that I have ...... but regardless, it always has the same beam width for both boats. Obviously the H-51 maxes with a 90 (for majority of them with exception to a VERY limited few with 115hp due to hydraulic steering and the newest having 70hp) and the H-50 maxes with a 75.

Depending on years, some features changed in both boats (H-51 & H-50) .......... the front deck changed (a single lid behind the bow pedestal base mount vs a dual side by side lid up front that pushed the pedestal seat base further back,basically where the single lid would have been). Also some boats will have a miniature instrument panel between the console and side rail .... and others will not. Some years have a slightly different base model console than others, mostly noticable on the instrument side. Again, these variances were with Year Model .... NOT model of boat vs model of boat ...... not to be confused with the 'X' boats consoles.

Other than that ......... the H-50 is a really nice fishing boat, especially for small waters. I use mine on Clarks Hill Reservoir (which is a large lake) on days that I fish by myself instead of hauling my Ranger 518vx all the way to the lake. It can still handle rough water pretty well. Granted it's not a 21' fiberglass bass boat, but for a 16' boat PERIOD, it does really well.

Price is dependant on area. Xpress boats are popular here, but not in abundance, thus price remains high on them. I bought my '05 H-50db (duck boat) around Nov 2012. This boat being a fish/duck boat is what really keeps price high on a boat like this in these parts as everybody wants a boat they can hunt and fish from. Dealer was asking $11K for it, I put 9.5 cash in his hand and brought it home ....... that's with a '05 Yamaha 70hp (oil injected), 12v 40lb MotorGuide and Xpress Backtrack galvanized trailer.

With that being said, I'd have a hard time selling mine for what I got in it ..... but I would sell it if someone wanted enough. I had to give a guy $1000 to keep my 75hp when I sold him my old Xpress with this 70hp, 6" jackplate, a pair of Lowrance HDS-5's networked with ethernet cable, 6ga trolling motor wire upgrade with Marinco plugs, 24v trolling motor, Minn Kota battery charger, new stereo radio, bla, bla, bla..

Lastly ....... mine is now pretty rare due to you hardly ever see a H-50 that is basically loaded and has MAX hp @ 75hp. Just like Mike's H-51 is about as rare as you'll find as well due to all the extras he's added to his. Most H-50's you find will have a 50 (Merc or Yamaha) on them .... everything else is pretty unusual, with the Yamaha 60 being next most popular and finally the 70. I only have known about 1 other H-50 with a 75 and it was a guy here on BBC. The one good thing about the Yamaha 75 2 stroke ...... it can be made into a 90 really easily ...... and even more if you want to really hop it up.

If you got any questions ..... feel free to ask.

[Ranger391v]

... if any corrections are needed,i sure don't see them.

It's taken me a lot of lumps on the head with a frying pan to learn that saying. Here lately my thoughts leave me mid-sentence ...... she says she thinks I got a touch of A.D.D. ........ I think it's a concussion.

[xpress spanky]

Rule # 1,They are ALWAYS rite.NEVER argue!

[Ranger391v]

You might as well give me #2 too ........ I might not last long enough to figure it out.

[xpress spanky]

You might as well give me #2 too ........ I might not last long enough to figure it out.

Rule # 2. If you don't follow rule # 1,well good luck.

[CricketKiller]

You might as well give me #2 too ........ I might not last long enough to figure it out.

Rule #2...... Remember rule #1

[xpress spanky]

Rule #2...... Remember rule #1

I told ya!!!!

[JigALow]

I appreciate the reply's and advice. I was wrong the boat has a 50hp Merc on the back, and the boat is in extremely good condition. I'm going to try and get it bought and then figure out how to make it faster and fish better. Would this setup benefit from a jackplate?

I really like Ranger391's ideas on customizing these little boats. The one drawback I see on these boats, is the small front deck. Other than that I like the small platform and fish ability.

[Ranger391v]

Just remember ...... the front deck space on the H-50 is the same as the H-51 ...... but I agree, compared to the deck on even my 19' Ranger, the deck space is like standing on a postage stamp. One thing that has really helped regain deck space is a tiller steer trolling motor. It's taken some getting used to, but thankfully most saltwater boats I've fished from all have this kind of trolling motor, so it wasn't totally foreign to me.

Also ..... it wouldn't be too hard to engineer a deck extension that would fit infront of the console, over to the rod locker, and butted against the front deck. Just know that the added weight up front is going to slow you down if you decide to do that ..... hence why I've not done it.

50 Merc. I assume it's a 2 stroke????? If so, a Google search will turn up the procedure on how to hop it up. The 2 stroke Merc 60 is the same powerhead, eventhough the cowling is different. Thus a carb swap and re-adjust sync/link will gain you some. 6" jackplate will help .... some from setback, but a lot from adjustability on height.

Props will be VERY limited. This is one reason why I sold my Merc 50 when I had it on my Xpress 1650hj (same boat as H-50, but a more dedicated duck boat interior). Here's a link to that boat. http://www.bbcboards.net/xpress-boat...t-project.html The best props I've found for the Merc 50 have been Mercury Vengeance (especially if you have cupping added to it), Michigan Apollo (very similar to Vengeance and faster in stock form), and Mercury Trophy Sport (good all around, but slowest of the 3). The biggest problem with this size class motor is the size of the gearcase .... which means smaller diameter size of prop for 'holding ability' to be able to lift up that Hyperlift hull. Think of it as 'footing' ..... the bigger the better in this case.

At the same time ...... and the best I can remember ..... a Merc 50 is good for about 38-40 loaded with 2 people and 3 batteries, and low-to-mid-40's light and solo.

[JigALow]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm going to get it home and let the testing start!

[Ranger391v]

pic's yet?????

[JigALow]

No pics as of yet. I haven't gotten her home yet, but hopefully only a couple more days!

[Ranger391v]

Post them when you get her.

Good Luck!